Australian-born musician Xavier Rudd is a multi-instrumentalist with a mission. His newest album, White Moth, is a collection of heartfelt songs that give the listener a glimpse into his mind and his life of conviction and compassion. Through his songs (on which he masterfully plays a plethora of unique instruments), he communicates the plight of the aboriginals, the state of the environment and a general respect for the human condition. Add in a schwack of surf-influenced metaphors and imagery and this album becomes a borderline masterpiece. On the tail end of his Canadian tour SBC Surf caught up with Rudd to discuss boards, breaks and being too busy for both. – Mike Berard
Where and when did you start surfing?
Well, I grew up down around Bells Beach so I started surfing when I was about 6 or 7. My Dad was a good surfer and he used to take us out, get us going.
Do you still get surf?
Yeah, not as much, I do when I’m home. I surf a couple times a day, it’s a really consistent coast where we’re at. But on tour, it’s pretty much non-existent. Wherever I am, you know, is wherever I am. If I’m on the coast I’ll paddle out but the chance that place is working on that day is usually pretty limited. I’ve lucked out a couple times, I had one day off in Auckland and I got Raglan really good; like perfect, 7 foot, just perfect. Just recently I was in San Diego, that was no good. We’ve got two weeks off in between the North American and Europe tours so I am going to go to Soup bowls in Barbados. And then we start the European tour on the South of France and Spain so I should be able to get some waves there. Other than that I’ve been inland America for 6 weeks so I haven’t surfed. So, I’m ready. It’s a funny lifestyle, you get feeling good about surfing again then you spend a month or two in the water back home and start to feel good and then you have time off and it’s a backwards effect. It’s like sports, you have to stay on top of it.
Have you had any chances to surf some Canadian breaks?
I paddled out in Halifax, we had a show in Halifax. And I surfed, I can’t remember the name of it…something-town…
Lawrencetown?
Yeah, it had a point break, with a sand bottom, looked like it’d get really good. But it was pretty average that day. But, I went out; it was cold!
Your wife is Canadian and a large part of your fan base is, and always has been, Canadian. When did your relationship with Canada begin?
Well, I just started playing shows in Canada around 2000. We use to live in a van and just cruise around the different ski fields and places and I’d just play, it’s sort of how we got by. That was sort of in the mellow days of playing music. But that’s when it started out. I’ve had a following since then. Now, I’m touring lots of different places and it’s a lot more structured and all of this, but we do Canada twice a year and I’ve always had a lot of support there. It’s awesome.
What kind of a relationship is there between music and surfing for you?
A lot of my music I wrote in the water. It’s mostly written while I’m busy doing something, camping or surfing or being in the bush. There’s something about the water that brings…it’s such powerful existence to be surfing, you’re riding a pulse of energy from Mother Nature. It’s a strong pulse of energy It’ll exist for the short time that it exists for and you might be the only human being that dances with it on the whole planet before and then its going to it disappear into the history of the universe. There something about that feeling that opens me up and when I’m open up like that, music becomes clearer.
What board do you ride?
I’ve got a few different ones. Coltish shaped me a really nice board, he calls them the Mermaid. That’s a really, really fun board. We had an amazing swell before I left and I rode that for about 5 days. I brought that with me and it got absolutely trashed in freight, so I’ve had it fixed. I love that board. I’ve got a couple of different MR twinfins and I ride those a lot. I have a couple of different Merricks Taylor Knox left me when he was in Australia. They’re professional style, Merrick shaped, like 6’0”. I’ve got a bunch of different ones. They’re my favourite though.
Lately, you’ve had some enormous success with your music. What kind of lifestyle changes come with this success?
Nothing really, just busier, just going more places. It’s cool; I can bring lots more instruments, which I always like to do. I’ve had to do some amazing opportunites. The lifestyle doesn’t change, it’s just busier.
When you do get a chance to unwind, where’s your favourite place to go?
I love the south coast back home; basically where I live, all around the Ironbark basin. All around the bush in there and the waves all over the coast. It’s nice to get back to.
You just opened your first few shows for the Dave Matthews Band. How drastic of a change is it playing to such large audiences when your traditional shows are known for being so personal?
It’s a little different. I’ve done the whole tour of my own shows so there are differences; it’s a shorter set, a different energy. It’s cool. It’s a good way to get exposure in America cause, to tell you the truth I don’t want to spend a lot time in America. If I can get to more people that way, then great. (laughter) They usually say you gotta spend like 6-8 months touring America to do well anymore, but I don’t have that in me. I couldn’t do that. I’d rather just come for a month or two.
Have you had a chance to play with those guys?
Yeah, I’m playing dig with them the last two nights. They’re an awesome band, and awesome to jam with; it’s a full house at that point so, you know, that’s 30,000 people.
It seems like your musical styles would work because you’re both so improvisational.
Well, they seem to be digging it, last night the jam went on for 20 minutes. That’s probably an indication, if I had of sucked it probably would have stopped earlier. (Laughter)
You’ve had the opportunity to play with some interesting people; Ani Difranco, Jack Johnson and, most recently, the Canadian native elder, Kennetch Charlette. How do other artists influence your music?
I think you’re influenced by everything you connect with on a big level. Kennetch is one of the most incredible human beings, I reckon, who ever lived. He’s got a spirit that goes a long, long way back in time and you can feel that. It was a real gift to have him on my album. I get a lot of opportunity to have powerful aboriginal people from different places and it’s always an inspiration. There are so many artists that are incredible.
Your songs show a strong connection with the aboriginal people of the world. What do you think we, as an industrialized society, can learn from them?
Oh, so much. We’re talking about cultures that have existed on land for thousands and thousands of years and were a valuable part of the biodiversity. And then white people show up and, and…fuck the place, to put it bluntly. It’s worse that we don’t give them a voice. I don’t get it. I don’t get why those people aren’t given a voice. Politicians are deciding what’s best for the environment and people who have existed for thousands of years aren’t given a voice. At a time when the last of those people are slowly dying off, we should be gathering up that information and teaching it to our kids, putting it into school systems in Australia and Canada. Every kid should learn the aboriginal story about the land they grow up on. It should be standard. And it’s not, and I don’t get it.
As a surfer and an environmentally-conscious human, how do you believe we as a species can learn to respect the environment?
Through aboriginal culture. For people who don’t have a drive to respect the environment those teachings can give you an understanding of why we should respect the land. Luckily, in Canada and Australia, and pretty much everywhere, it’s available, you just need to seek it out.
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o Xavier Rudd is by far my favorite musician right now! Not only are his melodies enticing and the way he plays the didgeridoo entrancing but the fact that he’s vegetarian too makes me ecstatic! When I read this article http://www.petaasiapacific.com/feature_xavier_rudd_vegetarian.asp?c=papfsxr on PETAAsiaPacific.com I was more than enthused to find out that my celeb crush had the same compassion I did. Read the article for yourself to find out more about Xavier and why he loves animals so much he won’t eat them.